My Thoughts (For Better or Worse)

As I sit in front of my family desktop facing the living room listening to music, it hit me. My house is Wicked “Christmas-y.” Off in the top-left corner next to our TV is a humungous Christmas tree filled with white lights, beautiful ribbon and family-related ornaments. The fireplace to the left of the tree has a nativity scene on the mantle and stockings are hung directly under it. A Christmas reef is put up on a window directly across from me while the words “Merry & Bright” rest below the reef. To say we are festive would be an incredible understatement.

As much as I enjoy the colors throughout the house and as much as I love the warmth I feel whenever I just stop and scan the rooms, there just seems something strange about this whole atmosphere. People tell me all of this is getting into the mood of Christmas, but honestly, aside from the Nativity scene, what does any of this have to do with my Savior coming down to save the World from Hell?

Look, I’m not trying to be a downer or a scrooge. I just get really into the meaning of Christmas. For years all I cared for during Christmas was giving/receiving presents, getting time off of school and getting into the Christmas spirit. While those are not necessarily bad things, my focus wasn’t on the things that truly mattered.

Whether or not you are a Christian, if you’ve grown up in America you have probably heard the Christmas story roughly 435 times. Everyone knows why we celebrate Christmas, but comparatively few actually understand the significance of Christmas.

To put it bluntly: THE SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE, OUR MESSIAH, WAS FINALLY BORN!!

The One that could save us from our sins, God Himself, had finally arrived. Without this event happening, very few people outside of Israel would have found true salvation. I cannot stress this enough. This is why I celebrate. Because Jesus came to my rescue, and before I was even close to being born my Lord made a way for me to meet Him face to face. I get to spend eternity with the very creator of Love for the rest of eternity. How cool is that?!?

Now if you have not experience the redemption that is in Jesus, but do know the Christmas story, I implore you to do more reading. Yes, you may know Matthew 1-2, you may even know Chapters 26-28, but really take a good, hard look at Chapters 3-25. Jesus was more than just a good man, or a wise teacher. The words in that book prove to me that He was SALVATION and in Him I have life and life to the FULLEST.

If you have any questions, text me, message me on facebook, get at me on twitter, or leave a message on my tumblr. I would love to talk about the healing and restoration Jesus brings to a life. I pray that God will be on everyone’s mind this Christmas season, and that in some way we show our gratitude to God for coming down and rescuing us.

I hope you all have an incredible Christmas.

Noel